I'm Sorry
by DieBuecherDiebin
Summary: WARNING! MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD! THIS PICKS UP DIRECTLY AFTER CHAPTER 74 IN THE MANGA! DO NOT RUIN THE STORY FOR YOURSELF! Full summary inside, because I don't want to accidentally give anything away.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey guys! Okay, summary: The final battle between titans and humans. Who will come out on top?**

 **I wrote this before chapter 75 came out on the site I use, so hopefully it will be before most of you guys get to it. I really wanted to focus on this idea I had, so I didn't develop the battle or go into much aftermath detail on purpose, so just know that it might be something I come back to if you like it. But I'm not psychic. You need to tell me what you want. I was gonna make this a two parter and make you guys wait for the second half, but I decided not to pull a Rick Riordan. Hope you get as caught up in the story as I did!**

 **I do not own Attack on Titan!**

 **ALSO: I just fixed some slight typos, this isn't a re-witten chapter. I also noticed that in my haste to get to Levi waking up, I neglected to provide a conclusion for Reiner. I was going to add a new chapter explaining the battle, but I decided this was easier. Sorry for any confusion this caused.  
**

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"Humans and Titans. Which will live, and which will die." Erwin's voice thundered out across the wall, loud in my ears. Rolling my grey eyes at the melodramatic statement, I turned to look sideways at the Commander. Tall, blonde, a beacon. For all of humanity to look to. Or at least, everyone who cared enough to look up from their insignificant lives at the people who allow them to continue to live that way. Well, not exactly of late. But Historia was the rightful ruler, and the old king was corrupt. It had to be done.

But now here they all were, forced into a seemingly final confrontation with the Titans. I couldn't stand it. This was the angriest I had felt since my squad had… died. No. Been murdered. By Annie. Who was still safe in her little cocoon of crystal. The rest of the brats didn't know, but I had taken to using her as a cutting board. Any time I felt frustrated, I would attack her shell until my blades were broken. Erwin knew, and he understood. Now, looking at him, trying to read the sliver of his eyes I could see, I saw exactly what I expected. Defiance. Exhaustion. Rage. A slow burning flame, not hungry enough to cloud his calculations or distort his judgement. But there nonetheless, using the deaths of past cadets as fuel. It would never go out, I could tell. Erwin took all of their lives on his shoulders. Every one of them, even when he wasn't the Commander, when I first got here. When I first got here…

Farlan and Isabel. I knew he blamed himself for their deaths. But he shouldn't. It was all my fault. I was the only one to blame. _Big bro._ A real big bro wouldn't have let them come on the expedition. I didn't deserve their adoration. Looking out across the sea of titans, my eyes landed on one in particular, and something inside of me snapped. That was the Titan that had killed them…

My vision blood red, my body taut as the cables that allowed us to fly, and said softly, "Erwin…"

He looked over at me, surprised by the venom he heard in my voice. I was shaking. So furious, the fire in my eyes raging, threatening to consume everything I had left, leaving me a hollow shell. Not that I wasn't already. I didn't even hear him say anything, although I saw his lips move. I saw everything. The wide eyed but calculating blue gaze of Arlert, the impassive dead eyed stare of Ackerman, and the determined gleam of Hange's eyes. I saw it all. I saw Erwin's lips. I saw the nod of his head. Then my vision blurred, because I was moving.

Firing my hooks off, I swung down to a lower spot on the wall before pushing off with the intention of latching onto a nearby tree. I never got that far. In my haste I had missed a (awkard)second of sight, and in that second, the Titan that had unhinged me had begun running towards me. Fast, but not an abnormal. Halfway to the tree, I changed course, twisting my body and firing into the Titan's right arm, which was held out rigidly from its shoulder. Swinging around it, I used my momentum to fly high above it, curling backwards so I could start my spin and end its life. And then I felt the wires pulling on me.

Looking down, I saw that the Titan had moved its arm, which I was still hooked into, and had my wires in its meaty hand. A heartbeat of panic, before the Titan started to turn around. But not slow. No, it was _spinning_. Going around and around in circles and I was trapped, getting dizzier and dizzier. Vaguely I heard Erwin yelling something. I didn't know how I could still hear him, and then I tried to look around, fighting the centrifugal force that made me feel like my lungs were climbing up my throat. We were closer to the wall than I had thought.

I had an idea. It was crazy. I'd probably die. But I might not. Erwin was watching. I could do it. Craning my neck, I watched the tan blur of the wall, then the green and blue of the sky and grass, dotted with dark splotches that I knew were the Titans. I focused on the intervals, and the next time I saw the wall I cut my straps and allowed myself to fly towards it, faster than my gear had ever gone before.

The angle was right, I was going to make it. I reached my arm out and braced for impact. Then I hit the wall, my hand grabbing onto the edge of the stone, pain flaring up everywhere. Gasping, I quickly threw my other hand up and grabbed on with it. So now here I was, hanging on the edge of the wall by my fingers, the right side of my body on fire where I had slammed into Maria, and no gear to help me. Looking around, I knew why Erwin had been shouting. Bertolt.

He was on the wall, along with a few others who I didn't recognize. Looking down, I saw Eren still locked in battle against Reiner. I couldn't tell who was winning, but that was the least of my concerns. I was trapped. I didn't have the strength to swing myself up, Bertolt was walking towards me, and his friends were surrounding mine. Erwin's cheek was bleeding from a large cut, and Ackerman was standing defensively in front of the rest of my squad. But now Bertolt was here. I tried to think of something to say, but he just raised his foot and brought it down on my left hand.

My senses exploded, and I couldn't keep from crying out in pain. He had crushed the bones, as easily as if I were a bug he had stepped on. I tried to keep holding on, because I knew he was going to do it to the other one too, and I didn't have a plan yet. Hold on, just keep holding on. Don't give in, ignore the pain… I couldn't ignore it. It was on the forefront of my mind, and even my fury had been overtaken by it, a new kind of fire. I barely felt the other one, my nerves unable to get past the first wave of it, overloaded. I felt a tear slip down my cheek though, and hated myself for it, hated that I was crying so much that I let go. I didn't fall though. Someone grabbed my arm. I managed to drag my head up, it felt like it weighed ten times what it normally did, expecting to see Erwin, pulling me out of the darkness, the pain, bringing clarity to my torn up being, helping me focus my anger into something productive, fighting for humanity…

It wasn't Erwin though. Nor was it Ackerman, Arlert, Hange, or anybody else from my squad. It was Bertolt, and he was frowning as he held me like a doll by my left arm. In his other hand my frazzled mind recognized a syringe. A jolt of fear ran through me. That couldn't be what I thought it was. Deep down I knew it was. Still frowning, he mouthed something, and plunged the needle into my arm, through my jacket and shirt. Then he let me fall, throwing me away from the wall like a piece of garbage.

I felt a searing pain, slow but intense, spread up my arm, and then it all faded to black.

* * *

Erwin watched in astonishment as Levi fell, before he erupted into a bright flash of yellowish green light. When he could finally see again, after the ghosts of the light had faded, he saw a Titan. About 13 meters, not as tall as Eren but slightly more muscled, the Titan had shortish black hair, and even from this distance, Erwin could make out bright silver eyes, shinning so much that they almost emitted their own light. It was Levi. Levi had been turned into a Titan by the same serum that had turned Lord Reiss into a Titan.

Levi let out an earsplitting roar, and looked around, arms and legs in fighting position. Erwin almost hoped that Levi had more control over his Titan than Eren had, before he heard Reiner let out an answering roar, attracting Levi's attention. The smaller Titan hurled himself at Reiner, who dodged, causing Levi to plow straight into Eren. Heart sinking and mind racing, Erwin watch as Levi and Eren began to fight, Eren in defense and Levi in offense. Reiner ducked in and out, always directing Levi's attention back to Eren, while still attacking them both. Erwin dragged his eyes away from the fight, made eye contact with Cadet Ackerman, and nodded. She exploded into a flurry of motion, taking out two of the nearest guards before getting engaged in battle with a third. The rest of Levi's squad automatically turned to fight the enemy nearest them and Hange started directing the rest of the troops on the wall. Erwin took his time, surveying the damage to the wall from the Beast Titan's boulder, taking in the fight going on below him and then looking at the fight around him.

He decided that Eren knew what to do and would take care of his battle, and focused on the one closest to him. Drawing his sword, he slashed out at the one who had been guarding him, thinking that it would be easy to overpower the crippled Commander. He fell instantly, and Erwin turned to the next opponent who dared to try and stand in the way of humanities freedom.

Below him, Eren was panicking, dodging savage attack after savage attack, backing up, moving to the right, repeating, as Reiner closed in on the left and Levi in front. He had never been able to beat Levi in hand-to-hand combat, and Reiner had his armor. Eren was using some of his new shell ability, but he knew he wouldn't have enough energy left if he used too much. He kept it focused on the back of his neck, his fists, forearms, and stomach. Even that was draining him. Levi's attacks were wild and vicious, slashing, clawing, biting, hitting, never ending. Reiner would hit his ribs just as Levi threw a punch his way, their combined attacks pushing him back. Then he felt the wall on his back, and realized that he had been backed into a corner, right where Shiganshina jutted out from Maria. He was trapped.

Levi must have sensed it, because his attacks became wilder, fiercer, to the point that Reiner stepped back, content with letting things play out. Eren looked around as he grappled with Levi, steam pouring from his numerous wounds and clouding the air. He knew that he needed a shifter, one he could force Levi to eat. Then he should stop attacking. But where?

Above him, Erwin and the others won a quick victory, incapacitating and disposing of the remaining enemy guard, leaving only Bertolt, who was still fighting Mikasa. The only reason they had won was because of a genius idea of Hange's. After quizzing Eren, she had come to the conclusion that if a shifter's body becomes numb, even if they are wounded, they won't be able to shift, because there is no pain. She quickly came up with a powerful numbing agent and equipped each scout with a syringe, to use in case they ran into a shifter. Luckily, Mikasa had had the presence of mind to do so, stabbing Bertolt in the chest with the needle as soon as she could, causing his body to numb completely. Unfortunately, this did not hinder his movements, and he fought against her with all he had.

Much taller than her, but slightly less skilled, their fight was evenly matched. Mikasa fought with a dagger while Bertolt had only his long swords. The metal clashed and sparked against each other as Mikasa swung, Bertolt parried, and the dance continued. Until Bertolt got lucky.

He stepped into her instep just as she lunged past him, throwing herself off balance and allowing him to cut across her back. She fell to the ground with a quiet gasp, and Bertolt raised his swords to finish her off. With his back to the scouts. Big mistake. His eyes widened and his breath left him in one sputter as he was pierced by a sword. Looking down at the blade sticking out of his chest, he turned around, and was surprised by the steely gaze he met.

Ocean blue eyes, framed by long blonde hair. Armin.

Bertolt fell to his knees. Mikasa looked up when she didn't feel the cold metal ending her life. She saw Armin, eyes hard, stance firm, the culmination of all of his years of training. She couldn't help but think back to a little boy who always got picked on, who had dreams to see the outside world. She couldn't have been more proud.

Erwin watched Armin's transformation with interest, already thinking of how he could use that new tool. Then Hange was running towards Bertolt, dragging him back towards where Erwin was standing. He looked at her quizzically. She pointed to the fight below, where Eren was backed against a wall, nearly to his knees. Erwin understood, and so did Armin. Together, the three of them pulled and pushed Bertolt's body over to above Eren. Then they dropped him, down, down, down, into Eren's outstretched hands.

Eren wasted no time in pushing the shifter into Levi's growling mouth and slamming those powerful jaws shut, forcing Levi to swallow. Then silence. Levi stopped fighting, and fell slack against Eren, who maneuvered him against the wall, sitting him down with his neck exposed. Then the brunette straightened back up, locking eyes with an astonished Reiner. It was hard to tell what he was thinking due to the hard crystal covering his face, but his mouth was open, jaw hanging slack, and he had frozen. Eren took the opportunity to lunge at him, slamming him to the ground as Connie, Sasha, Jean, and Armin all flew down to help cut the Corporal out.

The spell broke and Reiner was struggling once more, rage making his attacks fierce but clumsy. Eren took advantage of this, dodging Reiner's fists and keeping the bulkier Titan pinned beneath him. Eren roared loudly, a call for help, and Connie, Sasha, Jean, and Armin, having cut out the Corporal and placed him in the grass near his steaming Titan, flew to his assistance. Eren lifted Reiner with difficulty, holding his arms to his sides so he couldn't swing at the scouts, and they hooked onto his neck.

Hange had come up with a new idea about how to bypass the armor, and the scouts used it now, driving their swords into the unprotected flesh between the plates. When in motion, it was too hard to do, but with Reiner unable to move, their thin blades were able to slip through the cracks. The blades had been reinforced, so it was only a matter of prying the pieces away, which they began to do. Slowly but surely, especially after they were joined by some of the scouts from the wall, they chipped away the armor and revealed the tough flesh beneath. By now Eren could hardly hold onto Reiner who was struggling fiercely, sensing his death. Hange had flown over, and the rest of the scouts parted for her, until she stood next to Connie, Sasha, Jean, and Armin. She nodded at them, and together, the five began cutting Reiner out.

His Titan stopped struggling, and moments later, Jean and Connie pulled out a bloody and unconscious Reiner. Eren let go, and waited for them to cut him out, and after a few more minutes of hacking, both Eren and Reiner were placed down on the grass by Levi, all three smoking from their wounds.

* * *

I woke up slowly, like my eyelids were glued shut. My lungs felt compressed, and when I tried to breathe in deep it turned into a coughing fit. I felt like crap. Like I had been run over or something. Finally I got them open, still wheezing like a flipping asthmatic. I saw sunset skies. Green grass. Wait, no. Green grass splattered, with red, huge puddles of it, all over, under me, on me… It was disgusting.

I tried to sit up but couldn't. Felt like a Titan was sitting on my chest. Titans… Hadn't we been fighting Titans? Ignoring the pain, I propped myself up with my arms, the best I could manage, like the weakling I was. Saw Eren next to me, asleep. Or dead. No, his chest was moving. Heard a deep voice being cleared. Erwin.

Turned to my left, saw him sitting there, eyes almost see through the way the light was hitting them. Tried to talk. Couldn't. Turned to look out across the field. Saw bodies. Lots of them. Big ones. Titans. Looked behind me. No bodies. Either they all survived, or they had already been moved.

"They are alive. Some closer to death, but most are fine." Erwin said, his voice rough and gravelly.

"What happened with me?" I asked, because seeing the Titans had helped me remember. Hanging from Maria. Bertolt. Syringe. My eyes widened as I looked down at the steam which I hadn't really noticed before, assuming it was from Eren. It was my steam too. I looked at Erwin, and he nodded.

"Who?" I asked. Who had I eaten. Who's power had I taken.

"Bertolt."

I thought back to hanging off the wall. Bertolt had mouthed something. What had it been… Oh. Right. The kid had mouthed, " _I'm sorry."_

I looked out at the setting sun, illuminating the pile of bodies. They stood out like a dark mound of fleshly rocks. The red sky made it all look bathed in blood, which it probably was. I hardly even noticed when the tears started to fall.

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 **A/N: I hope you guys liked this, because I loved writing it. Please, please, please comment below!  
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	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I was planning on posting this later today, but the next chapter in the manga (76) just got posted, and they began filing in some backstory that I wanted to create in this chapter so I decided to post right away. My beta hasn't had a chance to review the final product, although we have edited once, so let me know if some parts are confusing in terms of who is talking.**

 **Huge disclaimer: The dialogue is all taken from the manga _No Regrets,_ so they get rights to that. However, Marissa and Derick are mine. I decided to back up and write everything that had happened before the first chapter from the time Levi joined, so the scene is theirs. More at the bottom, so please read it. Hope you enjoy!  
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"Stop! Take a good look around you!" The mustached blonde yelled as he jumped in between Levi and the other blonde. Levi couldn't help but notice their nearly identical haircuts, and almost snickered before he heard Isabel's voice.

"Lemme go! You little-"

The fiery magenta haired girl cut off and stopped struggling when Farlan called out in a tired voice, "Don't waste your energy, Isabel."

At the same time, the woman who was barely holding Isabel shouted, "Squad Leader! Are you alright?"

The shorter blond responded, "I'm fine, Cadet Marissa. Good work capturing both of them."

 _Squad Leader, huh. Why would someone so up in the ranks be here for a clean-up job?_ Levi wondered to himself as he glared hatefully at the still annoyingly tall squad leader, whatever that meant. At least, he tried to glare hatefully, but the second he saw those huge eyebrows he almost burst out laughing. _Are those actual eyebrows? They look to big to be real. Okay Eyebrows, what're you going to do next?_

Eyebrows motioned to the two holding Farlan and Isabel and Levi found himself being roughly grabbed and shoved to his knees along with them by the taller blonde, the one with the mustache. _Tch._ He thought, disgusted. _These streets are filthy._

"I'm going to ask you a few questions." _That's it. No introduction, just shove us into the street so that you can look down on us and start an interrogation. I didn't think a squad leader would be so rude._ Levi hated the blonde's condescending attitude, wanted to grab his knife from inside his boots and show him why he shouldn't have messed with them. Wanted to, but couldn't because the mustached-blond and the other two had put wooden cuffs on his, Isabel's, and Farlan's wrists.

"First, where did you obtain these?" The squad leader continued, face an emotionless mask. Levi stayed silent, knowing that Farlan and Isabel wouldn't say anything. They could handle themselves. Seemingly unfazed by the stony silence he received, Eyebrows continued.

"Your 3D maneuver skills are also remarkable. Where did you learn how to do that?" he asked.

 _On our own. You have to do a lot of things on your own down here, if you want to survive. That's why we're here after all. Nobody up there wanted us, so they shoved us into this underground garbage heap and forgot about us, unless, like you, they wanted us for something._

The silence became deafening, so Eyebrows walked closer to Levi.

"You are the leader, correct? Have you ever received military training?"

Levi almost laughed. _If I had received military training, do you think I would be down here with stolen gear? Unless of course even the military is willing to dump their unwanted ex-soldiers down here. Come to think of it, they probably do._

Levi responded to the question with a glare that sent most MPs running. That is, when they actually did their job to control crime in the underground slum that Levi called home. Eyebrows didn't bat an eye. He almost smiled, and Levi thought that there must be a course in how not to smile in training.

"Your face is telling me that you are plotting how to best kill us and escape, right?"

 _Wrong. I need to know why you are here. Once you tell me, I won't need to think about anything, because Farlan already has. We will escape, and you will be dead._

Met without a response, the squad leader's attitude changed, just slightly, and he spoke slowly, languidly, as if he thought himself a fox who has just caught a sleeping rabbit, and must cautiously get close enough to attack. Levi hated that the blonde thought that he was the rabbit.

"If possible, I didn't want to be rough, but…" Eyebrows glanced at Mustache, and in Levi's peripheral vision he saw the tiniest of nods.

 _He better not-_ Was as far as Levi got before Mustache grabbed a fistful of his hair and slammed his face directly into a muddy puddle in the street. Pain exploded across his face, and he fought the urge to gag amidst all of the filth. Turning his head sideways, he spat out the dirty water that had gotten in his mouth, and glared fiercely up at the chief.

"Let me ask you one more time," the chief said, his expression dark and ominous, his voice hard as steel, directly meeting Levi's eyes. "Where did you learn 3D maneuvers?"

The two leaders glared at each other, cold steel against ice blue. And then the silence was broken.

"We didn't learn from anyone! Get off your high horse, mister public servant!"

Levi almost groaned. Isabel. As much as he had drilled it into their heads never to speak in these situations, she had always looked up to him. He should have guessed that she wouldn't be able to keep from answering if it meant preserving his honor.

The stare-off and oath of silence broken, Farlan added, "We picked up these skills in order to survive in this dump. Someone like you, who doesn't know that taste of sewer water, would never understand." His voice was dripping with derision and loathing as he glared up at Eyebrows as if they were at the same eye level.

The tall squad leader looked uncomfortable for a second, and then spoke, "My name is Erwin Smith. What is yours?"

Levi nearly laughed again. Eyebrows, or Erwin, didn't look so impressive anymore, instead appearing smaller and less in his element. _Well, I don't care if you know you lost that battle, Smith. I don't answer to people like you._

Levi remained silent.

And promptly had his face turned and shoved harder into the dirty water, before it was yanked back up, his neck craning from the awkward angle. He gasped for air, and fought back the shivers of disgust he felt from having the water all over his face and again in his mouth.

Erwin wasn't done being pretentious though, and remarked candidly, "I admire your spirit, but if you keep this up, we'll have to get your comrades involved."

At his words, the two soldiers standing behind Farlan and Isabel each put one of the blades that had downed many a titan against the necks of their prisoners, and panic shot through Levi. He stifled it though, needing a clear head, and vaguely heard Isabel yell, "If you're gonna do it, just do it already!"

Levi grit through his teeth, "You bastard."

Erwin calmly stated, "Your name."

Levi paused, weighing his chances. Maybe he could use a fake name… But then an unfamiliar voice interrupted his thinking, and he whipped his head around to the source.

It was the soldier whose sword was held to Farlan's neck, and he spoke languidly as well, adopting the same tone as his leader had before, although this time, he owned it. He _was_ the fox, and Levi, Farlan, and Isabel _were_ his prey.

"Just say the word, sir. I'm ready." Levi was shocked to notice a shift in the atmosphere, every one of them tensing, suddenly wary. Who was this guy, and how did he have so much influence over everyone?

Erwin nodded, and suddenly Levi knew why everyone had reacted the way they did. It was hard to tell, but still noticeable. The man was smiling, a soft, lazy twitch of the corners of his mouth, like he was completely at ease, instead of waiting for orders to kill. _Like he knows something we don't._ Levi suddenly thought.

He turned his gaze back to Erwin, and swallowed, before speaking, his voice rough from the silence, "It's Levi." Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the soldiers smile grow, and he put down his sword, the other soldier following his lead.

Erwin gave a small smile too, even less noticeable, and kneeled down in the dirty water, putting himself as close to Levi's eye level as he could, while Levi felt Mustache's hand leave his hair, allowing him to straighten up.

"Levi. Won't you strike a deal with me?" Erwin asked.

"A deal?" he echoed, confused. Hadn't they just threatened to kill his friends?

Erwin nodded. "I won't ask what crimes you've committed. In return, you'll lend me your strength. Join the Survey Corps."

The words hit Levi like a barrel of bricks. _Join the Corps?_ His lip curled in disdain before he remembered the job he had been hired to do. The man had promised to let him, Isabel, and Farlan live on the surface after they succeeded… Of course Levi had his suspicions about that. But this was the end goal, and everything had happened exactly as they had been told… The man who stood behind Farlan shifted his weight almost imperceptibly towards the blond kneeling at his feet, a clear enough warning for Levi. He internally grimaced at the thought of joining a group where _he_ would be, but shoved the thought down.

"…And if I refuse?" the raven-haired man asked, glaring up at Erwin, who had stood again.

"I turn you over to the Military Police. Considering your crimes, I don't think you or your comrades can expect decent treatment." There was a smile behind the words, and Levi could instantly tell that the blond didn't think much of the Military Police. He watched as Isabel grit her teeth in anger, while Farlan looked sideways at Levi, who made eye-contact.

He heard Erwin add in the background, "Choose whichever path you wish."

Farlan gave the tiniest of nods, and Levi sighed internally. He waited one, two, three seconds, clenched his teeth, and said, "Very well. I'll join the Survey Corps."

Erwin nodded, satisfied, and Mustache, Dangerous One, and Marissa all unlocked the wrist-cuffs, freeing their three new comrades.

But not completely, since the three were immediately surrounded, Erwin in front, Levi in the middle with Farlan and Isabel on either side, Dangerous One on Farlan's side, and Marissa on Isabel's side with Mustache bringing up the rear. Essentially still trapped, as far as Levi was concerned. Erwin started walking and they all followed, but it wasn't long until Isabel asked why they weren't using their 3DMG gear. It was Dangerous One who answered, a rueful and passive-aggressive tone coloring his warm voice.

"Because, although the Military Police were made aware of our presence, they don't typically like us, and we'd rather avoid any sort of confrontation with them. We do have a schedule after all, so Squad Leader, do you mind?" He ended with a questioning tone and a respectful clasping of his hands behind his back as he addressed his no doubt superior, despite the slight mocking lilt to his voice as he said "squad leader."

Erwin nodded, replying, "Lead on, Cadet Hayden." with that same mocking accent on the title. He then moved aside to let Dangerous One walk beside him. Levi, Isabel, and Farlan looked at each other in surprise when the guarded formation broke, and when Dangerous One immediately turned down one of the many narrow side streets in the Underground. He seemed to navigate effortlessly, maintaining a conversation with Erwin pitched low enough that even Levi couldn't hear them.

Within minutes, they group had reached the uneven stone stairs cut out of the rock wall that formed the cavern, and lead to the outside world. Levi felt a small breeze from outside and closed his eyes to enjoy the sensation, feet carefully picking out the best spots from memory. Levi had spent many an afternoon staring up at the steps, counting them, memorizing their shapes, so that if he had the chance to escape he could do so quickly. All of it had been worth it when the sunlight hit his eyes, almost blinding him even through closed lids.

He heard Dangerous One grunt, and opened his eyes to see the tall soldier shading his eyes with a grimace on his face. He felt anger rise up in him. _You think you have it bad? You're used to the sunlight. We aren't. We'll probably burn up outside, so don't you complain about a momentary discomfort,_ he thought, his dislike of the man growing every second. Erwin laughed though, which surprised the whole group, and tugged the hood of Dangerous One's cloak over his head, a gesture which seemed very personal and not at all like what Levi had seen with Mustache and Marissa.

Narrowing his eyes, both at the sight before him and the bright sunlight, Levi stepped up the last stair, and looked around. In front of him, a vast span of land, bigger than anything he had ever seen. Behind him, Wall Sina towered above them, regal and imposing, seemingly glaring distastefully at the rats who had left their nest.

Levi glared back, glad to get out from underneath her, and away from the Military Police. Then he noticed the two carriages, one with a white and black horse tethered to it, the other with a beautiful black horse and an ordinary looking brown one. Erwin walked towards the black and white horses, patting them both on the nose, and Dangerous One followed him, scratching them both behind their long ears, which both twitched around in content. There was another soldier sitting in the driver's seat of that carriage, and Levi saw Mustache and Marissa climb into the driver's seat of the other.

"Sir, you really should be heading off to the meeting soon." Dangerous One said after he finished petting the horses, paying special attention to the black one, which looked like the other one, except for being entirely dark as opposed to the one that had caught Levi's eyes which had a grey sheen to its coat. Turning to Levi, he noticed the focus Levi had on the grayish black horse and said, "His name is Tyr."

Levi nodded. It was a good name. He wondered if the horse already had an owner. _No. You aren't staying here, don't get attached,_ he thought firmly to himself. Erwin cleared his throat, and this time, Levi found himself willing to listen to the man. His voice held a much more authoritative weight to it up here, not like down in that stink hole. Levi realized with a start that Dangerous One was less irritating as well, less cocky and dominant, more genuinely respectful with the honorifics. It was making him uneasy. Levi wanted to find out why.

"As Derick mentioned, I have a meeting to attend. I will meet up with you later on. Derick, Mike, and Marissa will stay with you three and answer any questions you may have." After he finished, Erwin climbed into the carriage, which started towards Wall Sina, towards an outer-town in the distance.

Not-so-dangerous-anymore One whose name was apparently Derick gestured to the carriages doors, and before Levi climbed in, he gave Tyr a few pets to his head. He noticed Derick smile but ignored him, glaring at his feet as the carriage started moving and he began a new section in his life.

* * *

 **A/N: Hey guys! I hope you liked this! Getting back to the disclaimer, every thing after Levi agrees to join the Corps is mine.  
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 **So, what is this mysterious job that Levi keeps thinking about? What is the relationship with Erwin and Derick? What is the meeting for? And what will happen to Tyr? All of these good questions, some of which I have no answer. Let me know what you think, I can be flexible with my story.**

 **Please review and tell me what you think, good or bad, confusing or not. I won't have access to a computer for a while, so the next chapter might take longer than I was hoping. Have a great time celebrating whatever holiday you celebrate, whether is has already passed or if it is still coming up! See you next year!**


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